Jewish Heritage Tours | Thessaly-Macedonia-Epirus

A Jewish traveller can discover a lot of fascinating things when touring around Greek Jewish communities. Of course, given the distances between the cities of Jewish interest, it is very difficult to combine everything in one trip. Please find below an example of a 9-days itinerary for a group of observant Jews who visited Greece in summer 2014. It covers all the Jewish communities of Greece’s mainland to a great extent, leaving out only the ones on the islands of Corfu, Rhodes and Crete (Chania). Whether you are interested in a group tour or in a private tour, don’t hesitate to contact us if you plan to visit our beautiful country. We can arrange a tour based on your personal needs and requirements.

The Jewish presence in Greece dates back to the 6th century BCE, when the first Jews came to settle in the Greek territory after the destruction of Solomon’s Temple. These Jews established strong communities, long before the Roman invasion. When the Romans conquered Greece in 146 BCE., the Greeks called themselves «Rhomaioi» (citizens of Rome), while the Jews, in order to differentiate themselves from their fellow Greek citizens who were pagans at that time, called themselves «Romaniotes», which means «citizens of «Romania» (the word «Romania», in this context, indicates the eastern part of the Roman Empire, and bears no connection with the state of Romania). After the expulsion of Jews from Spain and Portugal, a lot of Sephardic Jews settled in the Balkan region, mostly in the Northern part of Greece. In addition, some Ashkenazi Jews arrived in Greece following the newly appointed King Otto of Bavaria in the 19th century. This mixture of the “indigenous” Romaniotes and the newcomers, formed a population of approximately 80.000 people on the eve of WWII. Unfortunately, of these 80.000 Jews, only one-eighth, that is, 10.000 souls, survived the war. Today, less than 4.500 Jews live in Greece. Jewish Tour Throughout Greece

During WWII, Greece suffered one of the highest percentage of losses in Jewish population (87%). Before the war, there were Synagogues in over 32 cities. Only in Thessaloniki (also known as Salonica) there were more than 60 functioning Synagogues! Unfortunately, the vast majority of them was, either burned down by the Nazis, or never reclaimed, as, in most towns, no Jews came back… Nowadays, there are 8 active communities, however, most of them are facing a population decline… We are very lucky and proud that some of our holy sites like Synagogues, cemeteries and monuments, are still standing and being preserved, thus helping us and the new generations maintain Greek Jewry’s traditions alive.

Arrival to Athens – Chalkis (85 km.)

10:00 – Arrival at Athens International Airport, welcoming.10:45 – 12:00 Transfer via the suspension bridge to Chalkis, capital of the island of Evia, where the oldest registered Jewish Community of Europe still exists today!12:00 – 12:30 Nice promenade along the sea and the Evripos “Sliding” Bridge12:30 – 13:30 Lunch by the sea at a nice restaurant13:30 – 13:45 Walk to the beautiful Romaniote Synagogue built in 185513:45 – 14:45 Guided tour of the Synagogue, Mincha14:45 – 15:00 Walk to the cafeteria by the seashore15:00 – 16:00 Coffee break at a nice cafeteria by the sea16:00 – 17:15 Transfer to the classy 5* Athens Ledra Hotel17:15 – 17:30 Check-in at the hotel17:30 – 19:30 Free time for shower and rest19:30 – 20:00 Transfer to Chabad’s kosher restaurant “Gostijo”20:00 – 21:30 Dinner at the restaurant, Arvit21:30 – 21:50 Transfer to the Constitution Square21:50 – 22:10 Watch the ceremonial changing of the guards in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier22:10 – 22:30 Return to the hotel for overnight

Athens – Trikkala – Meteora – Ioannina (447km.)

07:00 – 08:00 Shachrit08:00 – 09:00 Bring the luggage to lobby, breakfast09:00 – Departure (check-out) from Hotel09:00 – 14:15 Transfer to Trikkala (with 2 short stops on the way for lunch at a rest-area)14:15 – 15:15 Visit the “Kahal Kadosh Yevanim” Romaniote Synagogue, Reading of the Torah (Rosh Chodesh Tamuz) & Mincha15:15 – 16:00 Transfer to Kalampaka, at the feet of the magnificent Meteora rocks16:00 – 17:00 Panoramic tour of the Meteora rocks, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in a spectacular scenery, considered among the most inspiring in the world!17:00 – 19:00 Transfer to Ioannina, a beautiful lakeside town, capital of Epirus prefecture19:00 – 19:30 Welcome drink, check-in19:30 – 20:30 Free-time for shower/rest and dinner preparations20:30 – 22:00 Dinner at the hotel, Arvit, overnight

Visit Ioannina – Boating on the lake – Zagori mountains

07:00 – 08:30 Shachrit & breakfast08:30 – Departure from hotel08:30 – 08:50 Transfer to the old Jewish quarter by the lake08:50 – 11:00 Guided walking tour of the old Jewish Quarter, the Holocaust Memorial and the magnificent Romaniote Synagogue “Kahal Kadosh Yashan” inside the Ottoman fortress, built in 1829, Kel Maleh Rachamim prayer11:00 – 11:15 Walk to the dock to take the boat11:15 – 11:30 Transfer by private boat to the picturesque island in the middle of the lake11:30 – 12:45 Free time for walking and shopping12:45 – 13:45 Lunch by the lake13:45 – 14:00 Return from the island to Ioannina by private boat14:00 – 15:00 Transfer to the beautiful Monodendri village (Zagori mountains)15:00 – 16:00 Coffee-break16:00 – 17:30 Return to the hotel via the beautiful bridges of Zagorochoria17:30 – 19:30 Free-time for rest & dinner preparations19:30 – 19:40 Early candle lighting at a private room in the hotel used as Synagogue19:40 – 20:40 Mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat services20:40 – 22:40 Kiddush and Shabbat dinner at the hotel, overnight

Shabbat at Ioannina

08:00 – 09:45 Tea-room with coffee and cake08:00 – 09:00 Daf Yomi at the Synagogue09:00 – 11:00 Shabbat morning services including reading of the Torah by cantor Haim Ischakis and other volunteers11:00 – 12:00 Kiddush with wine, whiskey and cake at the dining-room12:00 – 14:00 Lunch with Divrei-Torah between courses during the meal14:00 – 14:30 Mincha services-Reading of Torah at the private room used as Synagogue14:30 – 17:00 Free time to walk along the lake or rest and relaxation17:00 – 18:00 Tea-room with snacks and light drinks18:00 – 19:30 Free time19:30 – 21:50 Seuda Shlishit with Divrei-Torah21:50 – 22:30 Avdalah and Arvit services

Ioannina – Metsovo – Veria – Salonika (290km.)

07:00 – 08:00 Shachrit08:00 – 09:00 Bring the luggage to the lobby, breakfast09:00 – Departure (check-out) from hotel09:00 – 09:45 Transfer to the traditional mountain village of Metsovo09:45 – 11:15 Stroll around the village and the colorful souvenir shops11:15 – 13:00 Transfer to the green city of Veria, which lies on the slopes of Mount Vermion in a landscape of incomparable beauty13:00 – 14:30 Lunch by the Tripotamos river14:30 – 15:30 Guided walking tour of the old Jewish district and the recently restored Synagogue where Saint Paul of Tarsus preached Christianity in 50C.E.15:30 – 17:00 Transfer to Salonika (Thessaloniki), capital of the region of Central Macedonia and second largest city in Greece, most populous Sephardic city for over 400 years, Madre de Israel and Jerusalem of the Balkans17:00 – 19:30 Check-in, free-time for rest19:30 – 20:00 Transfer to the community’s kosher restaurant20:00 – 21:30 Dinner at the restaurant21:30 – 22:00 Return to the hotel, overnight

Visit Salonika

07:00 – 09:00 Shachrit & breakfast09:00 – Departure from hotel09:00 – 09:30 Transfer to the Monastirlis Synagogue, built in 1927 by Jews originating from Monastir (former Jugoslavia)09:30 – 10:15 Guided tour of the Sephardic Synagogue, the only one that survived WW210:15 – 10:30 Walk to the Yad Lezikaron Synagogue, dedicated to the memory of the 55.000 Salonikan Jews victims of the Holocaust10:30 – 11:30 Guided tour of the Synagogue and reading of the Torah11:30 – 11:45 Walk to Eleftherias square, where the persecutions of the Jewish population of Thessaloniki started in July 194211:45 – 12:00 Visit the impressive Holocaust Memorial, pictures12:00 – 14:00 Free-time for walking, lunch and shopping at the city centre14:00 – 15:30 Panoramic city tour, highlighting former Jewish owned villas and the old walled upper city (Ano Poli)15:30 – 16:00 Return to the hotel via Mediterranean Cosmos Shopping Mall16:00 – 19:15 Free-time for shopping, rest or swim in the outdoor pool, Mincha19:15 – 19:45 Transfer to the community’s kosher restaurant at the city centre19:45 – 21:15 Dinner and Arvit at the restaurant21:15 – 21:30 Transfer to the White Tower, landmark of Salonika21:30 – 22:00 By Night tour by boat to the Thermaic Gulf of Salonika22:00 – 22:30 Return to the hotel for overnight

Τhe Torah term for Greece is Yavan. It appears many times throughout the Scriptures and always hints at a mistaken materialistic view of reality. The word Yavan in Hebrew is written with the three letters yud, vav, nun and its depiction is three vertical columns of different lengths (יון), suggesting the famous columns that are the most enduring relic of ancient Greece.

In the Torah, the word Tziyon (Zion, Jerusalem) captures the idealistic vision of G-d’s plan and purpose for the Jewish people. As it is written: "…for from Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isaiah 2:3). The word Tziyon is created by placing the letter tzadik in front of the three letters that form the word Yavan (ציון). Αll Hebrew letters have meanings and the meaning of tzadik is a saintly human being, a G-d fearing person. In other words, the saintliness of Zion is not complete without the beauty of Greece! And this is one more reason to come and visit our country!

Jewish Heritage Tours

Due to growing demand, especially during the summer season, we encourage you to book as early as possible in order to ensure availability.